‘Stop for a while, enjoy the views’: Richmond’s Boulevard Bridge celebrates 100th anniversary with plaque unveiling

Nov 9, 2025 - 12:25

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‘Stop for a while, enjoy the views’: Richmond’s Boulevard Bridge celebrates 100th anniversary with plaque unveiling

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Richmond's Boulevard Bridge celebrated its 100th anniversary on Saturday, which featured a plaque unveiling.

The Richmond community gathered from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the iconic Boulevard Bridge for its centennial celebration.

City councilwoman Sarah Abubaker said the hope that made her want to do this was how amazing the community aspect is. To design, order and deliver the plaque, early conversations surrounding the 100th anniversary of the bridge began a year ago.

Per Abubaker, in 1925, the people who developed the Westover Hills neighbourhood built the bridge to allow residents to cross between the Northside and Southside of the city.

"The significance -- the historical significance -- of bridging North and South pieces of Richmond and being a connector for our communities is super important," Abubaker said.

(Photo: William Berksteiner, 8News)

The event included river views, community and live performances.

"The fact [that] there are so many people here and that we have taken something that was usually cars and zooming past and we've made it into a gathering space for our community," Abubaker said. "People from the Northbank of the river and the Southbank of the river coming together in the middle. Kids, dogs, music, food, there's people meeting each other for the first time."

The bridge carries Westover Hills Boulevard, or VA 161, across the James River, and reportedly shut down for the duration of the celebration -- from 8 a.m. to noon -- according to the Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority (RMTA).

"Just think about how symbolic this is as a commuter pathway, and we've said, 'no, stop for a while, enjoy the views. Remember why Richmond is so incredible and why it is the most amazing city in the world to live in,'" Abubaker said.

RMTA collaborated with the Westover Hills Neighborhood Association, Abubaker and other community partners to celebrate, according to event organizers.